VERIFIER SERVICE OFFERING

Initially set up to monitor for the community, in a very short space of time Verifier has grown a significant portfolio of commercial clients. Verifier clients include private residences, housing estates, factories, industrial parks, retail outlets, shopping centres and other commercial sites.

Verifier interacts with the relevant service provider/installer in each particular area and assists with monitoring/coordinating/notifications in relation to the clients’ systems maintenance.

With an expansive background in the security industry, Simon Becker, has taken his previous experience and knowledge to Verifier Offsite Monitoring where he has been appointed as National Sales and Technical Manager.
Having worked with South African and International security giants like ADT and ADI Global Distribution plus local security firms, Simon will be using his skills to help grow the Verifier Independent Offsite Monitoring brand throughout South Africa. “I am really excited to be working with a great team of experts,” says Simon. “The Verifier brand is able to offer independent peace of mind to customers, assisting them in being proactive about their security choices. I look forward to bringing this concept to the people of South Africa.”
For more information on or to partner with Verifier and Simon please visit www.verifier.co.za and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

“Our control room received an alert from a state-of-the-art licence plate recognition system placed at a client (a well-known shopping centre) that a wanted vehicle had entered the premises. The data provided indicated they were highly suspected of criminal activity, and that SAPS was to stop and search them, but as of yet no evidence was available to link them to a crime. Security forces in the area were promptly dispatched with a description of the vehicle and occupants, who were found shortly afterwards and detained. SAPS attended the scene, and drugs and drug paraphernalia were subsequently found, leading to the arrest of the suspects. A great team effort ending in the prevention of what was almost certainly a crime in the making!”

“While covering your face with a newspaper definitely hides your identity, it’s no good if you’re not being tracked by your face …”

When faced with upgrading your security, be it commercial or residential, one is faced with a myriad of service providers that all profess to offer a solution. For the uninitiated this can be a daunting task. How does one begin to compare say, one guarding company from another, one CCTV installer from another or one CCTV offsite monitoring company from another? Well, there is no easy answer I’m afraid, however there is a way to help begin to clear the clutter.

Don’t be lured into a service provider that has 10 different offerings – the one-stop-shop solution- rather find out what their core competency is and focus on that. Ask them what was the first service they offered when the business was started? This should help you on your way to picking the right service provider for your requirement. One would have thought that SA Breweries, the global multibillion Rand turnover liquor company, would have had the wherewithal to ensure that OK Bazaars retail group would have flourished when they acquired it some years ago. It wasn’t their core competency and was later sold for the princely sum of R1.

Mike Voortman, MD of independent offsite CCTV monitoring company Verifier mentions that this core competency is especially necessary when the solution is more “high-tech”. To ensure that his business is operating at peak efficiency, time, energy and dedication are required. His focus would be diluted if he was managing CCTV installations, guarding etc. as well. He also adds that collusion opportunities and cover ups become far easier when one service provider is offering all the services.

“Look for independence in your service provider,” says Mike, “it might mean you have more than one company handling your security, but at the end of the day your safety , and that of your family and staff is worth far more than the ‘perceived’ inconvenience of not having everything handled by a one-stop-security-solution.”

Secure housing estates and business parks have become a common sight in most neighbourhoods throughout South Africa. Offering a more secure work and home lifestyle, these estates are a trend that will continue growing as time goes on. However, many people are put offthese estates as they are perceived as being elitist and with high monthly levies. Companies offering independent offsite monitoring, like Verifier, have been able to come to the assistance of developers and home/ business owners, assisting in increasing security whilst decreasing overall and monthly levy costs.

How they do this is actually quite logical. For smaller estates, an offsite CCTV monitoring solution allows for a large reduction in construction costs as physical guard huts are no longer required, with the cameras doing the work of the guards. This solution also ensures no collusion between possible criminals and guarding staff. No guard hut equals reduced overall construction costs, which ultimately means either lower purchase prices or lower monthly levies.

For larger estates, which require guarding staff to let visitors into and out of the estate, the offsite CCTV monitoring solution assists in reducing the number of guards required, as the cameras are able to monitor and remotely patrol the perimeter of the estate, thus reducing the overall monthly costs to the estate and thereby lowering monthly levies.

“Developers are able to sell properties as off-site monitored, which mean that they can market an enhanced security solution, along with the attraction of lower levies and overall monthly security costs,” says Mike Voortman, Director of Verifier. “For smaller estates, offsite CCTV monitoring costs are significantly less than a guard, whereas the cost of employing a 24/7 guard for these estates is normally in excess of R20 000.00 per month.”

If you think lightening doesn’t strike twice in the same spot – think again! Certain suburbs and housing communities within South Africa have become the target of multiple attacks from criminals, who after breaking into the poorly protected property and stealing valuable items, are waiting a short period of time for these items to be replaced by insurance before striking again.

“Criminals are becoming smarter and we need to out-think them before they have the opportunity to strike, let alone strike again,” Says Mike Voortman, Director of Verifier, an independent offsite CCTV monitoring company. “If your property has been the victim of criminals breaking in, and you have not made any significant visible security changes, chances are good that they will strike again.”

Verifier has seen evidence of this situation occurring within a group of closely situated gated housing estates where they monitor some of the estates. Those estates with visible CCTV monitoring are being avoided in favour of those with more traditional security solutions that can be easily manipulated.

“Criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated; it’s therefore imperative that a security system is kept fully operational and as technologically-advanced as possible. Ten years ago a monitored burglar alarm was sufficient; this is rapidly being replaced with offsite monitored CCTV solutions. Criminals are increasingly aware that real-time footage and evidence of their crime is transmitted to a remote monitoring centre that can immediately intervene with tools such as audio challenging, and can also despatch the necessary response team to counter the threat,” says Mike.

Location, location, location – touted as one of the most important factors when buying a property and particularly when investing in a commercial property that you hope to make money from. However, one of the more important factors often overlooked is security. How safe and secure is your business or industrial park? Do you really want to invest your capital into a property unit that is not concerned with the safety of the tenants and employees? If a park becomes known as an unsafe zone, investors will not be willing to put monies into the park, attracting higher grade tenants will become difficult and slowly but surely the park will stagnate, along with your investment.

Having a guard on site with a guard hut is no longer enough to ensure your property is safe. The human element will unfortunately always leave room for error and manipulation. “Many forward thinking business parks are future-proofing their security systems with offsite CCTV monitored solutions. This reduces their monthly manned security spend – thereby keeping levies in check. It simultaneously enhances the physical security solution so as to attract investors and maintain tenant stability,” comments Mike Voortman, Director of Verifier, a national independent, offsite CCTV monitoring company.

Security company Verifier, offer 24hour monitored security and are able to respond 24/7 to all security issues, and have also been involved in the early detection of fires and floods in factories and office spaces and have been able to despatch the relevant emergency services. Unfortunately crime and criminals will always be around; we need to ensure that we are doing everything we can to secure not only our own safety but also our financial investments.

“The importance of securing a tenant’s premises cannot be understated by Landlords. Safe and happy means long term tenants,” says Len Pears, Director of Quagga Property Brokers who specialise in the Commercial and Industrial arena. “Adequate and competent security is a must for any commercial, industrial or even residential complex.The other obvious upside is that the value of the property increases as the crime in that complex decreases.”